ii THE ELEPHANT 29 



generally discovered in a position peculiarly favourable to itself, 

 where the roughness of the surface and the tangled herbage render 

 it impossible for a man to run at full speed without falling. 



We have recently seen a distressing example in the death of 

 the lamented Mr. Ingram in Somali-land, who, although well 

 mounted, was overtaken by an infuriated wild elephant and killed. 

 This was a female, and it appears that Mr. Ingram, having followed 

 her on horseback, had fired repeatedly with a rifle only '450. The 

 animal charged, and owing to the impediments of the ground, which 

 was covered with prickly aloes, the horse could not escape, and 

 Mr. Ingram was swept off the saddle and impaled upon the 

 elephant's tusks. 



The African differs from the Asiatic in the formation of ivory, 

 the tusks of the former being both thicker and heavier; the 

 females also possess tusks, whereas those of the Asiatic variety 

 have merely embryo tusks, which do not project more than two or 

 three inches beyond the lips. I had a tusk of an African elephant 

 that weighed 149 Ibs. I have seen in Khartoum a pair that 

 weighed 300 Ibs., and I saw a single tusk of 172 Ibs. In 1874 

 a tusk was sold at the ivory sale in London that weighed 188 Ibs. 

 These specimens are exceptions to the general rule, as the average 

 weight in a full-grown African male would be about 140 Ibs. the 

 pair, or 75 Ibs. for one tusk and 65 Ibs. for the fellow, which is 

 specially employed for digging. 



The African variety is an industrious digger, as it feeds upon 

 the succulent roots of many trees, especially those of the mimosa 

 family. The right tusk is generally used in these operations more 

 than the left ; accordingly it is lighter from continual wear, and 

 it is known by the Arabs as the " hadam " or servant. As the 

 African elephant is a root-eater it is far more destructive than the 

 Asiatic. It is astonishing to observe the waste of trees that are 

 upturned by a large herd of these animals, sometimes out of sheer 

 wantonness, during their passage through a forest. The dense 

 tops of mimosas are a great attraction, and there can be no doubt 

 that elephants work collectively to dig out and to overthrow the 

 trees that would be too large for the strength of a single animal. 

 I have seen trees between two and three feet in diameter that 

 have been felled for the sake of the roots and tender heads ; these 

 have shown unmistakable signs of an attack by several elephants, 

 as the ground has been ploughed by tusks of different sizes to tear 

 up the long straggling roots which were near the surface, and the 

 deep marks of feet around the centre of operations, of various 

 diameters, have proved the co-operation of members of the herd. 



